Fixing A 1966 Chevrolet C10 - Patina Control

Loyal Custom Classic Trucks readers might recollect the subject vehicle of this story as the original condition ’66 Chevy C10 that first appeared in CCT’s pages nearly five years ago.

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Back then, the truck was right at the point where it’s factory two-tone blue and white paint had worn-through and oxidized to what I thought appeared to be the perfect patina. Unfortunately, when I bought the ’66 it had to leave its arid SoCal high-desert home, and be relocated about four miles from the coast where almost every morning leaves a salty-mist that coats the entire truck with heavy dew. The transformation from randomly thinning paint to severe rust happened so fast it was almost like a young body shriveling up into a corpse within seconds like in a science fiction movie. If things were allowed to continue at this pace it wouldn’t be long before the driprails were lost and the roof was next, not to mention that the cab corners and floor were doomed.

Traditionally when it comes to condition, classic truck restorers like to wind the clock all the way back to like brand-new. To give an old truck 50 years of its life back requires a lot of time and effort. Since I don’t think I’m going to be around 50 years from now to enjoy the ’66, I decided to just do enough to make sure the truck will survive while I’m in charge of it. Instead of spending months, maybe years for a total restore, I spent a weekend adding what I believe will be at least another 10 years of life to the old girl. After the driprails and rusting paint were handled, the next step was to eliminate another common source of water entering the cab. Rotting, cracked and dry window rubber almost without exception is the first place where major rust problems begin. That said, we’re going to tear into the project by cleaning and prepping the driprail area before a quick coat of paint is applied to the entire roof followed by a new windshield and back glass to save our cab from Mother Nature’s wrath. CCT